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Sunday, July 17, 2011

Somthing magical happens over tea and quiches.

For me, the word brunch conjures up romantic gatherings of delightful people over decadent dishes, pretty dresses and lots, and I mean lots, of tea and laughs. My recent brunching adventure did not disappoint. My dear knitting mentor, Sandy, invited a few of us from the knitting circle to her beautiful home this past Sunday for a fiber-artists' brunch. She baked a beautiful spinach and feta quiche, as well as the tastiest summer salad I've had in years. Baby greens with cranberry vinaigrette, toasted almonds, and tangerine slices. It was heavenly! I brought along my dainty lady brownies (for those watching their figures) which are made with applesauce, pecans, and whole wheat flour to save a teeny bit of guilt. As well as for the more indulgent (alright, maybe gluttonous would be a more fitting word) cranberry shortbread streusal bars. So tasty! Next time I'm revamping the recipe with lemon zest and blueberries. My dear friend Jessica brought a beautiful fruit salad and cookie tray and Kate served as the tea-sommelier. Our very favorite of the day was unanimously "Paris", from Harney and Sons.

While Jessica and I are still only eighteen,and have not gotten to see much of the world yet, Sandy is a retired art teacher and Kate a librarian, so they have the most beautiful travel stories! As if I wasn't already drooling from the delicious food their recollections of trips to Italy had me looking for a handkerchief. Kate was lucky enough to spend some time living in Italy, where her now husband proposed! Oh these women have such stories.
But of course, being knitting fiends Jess and I asked for the stash tour. It was unbelievable. I can not describe to you how many beautiful pieces Sandy had to show us. All of which she knit herself! This woman is magical. Along with perfect sweaters and decadent yarns she also showed us her cross stitch collection that is perfectly worked into the house. Some were made by her grandmother, who created her own patterns and others were her own, one more awe-inspiring than the next. When we got into the sitting room I fell in love. Perched on a creamy white antique desk was a modestly sized cross stitch of a teapot and cup. But not just any teapot, the exact teapot that is sitting in my bedroom as the center of my collection! The Royal Albert country rose set, reincarnated into a cross stitch! needless to say I almost burst from excitement and had to hold back for begging of the pattern. Sandy, always thrilled to inspire, ran upstairs and returned with two color copies of the pattern. Jess and I stopped at acmoore on our way home for thread.

Great friends, tasty food, and piles of inspiration. As Jess and I will be swept off to college in the fall we decided to make this a yearly event to catch up, eat, and share our projects. It was an absolutely magical way to spend a day, we had such a great time that we missed the beading expo we planned to go to! But it was well worth it, I'd rather be sipping tea with these ladies any day than spending money on jewelry supplies.